She Sings Sub Rosa

Molotov Cocktease and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch (Dr. Girlfriend) Pt. 3

2011-11-08T08:11:00.002-09:00

Here are some of the pictures we shot of our costumes! I'm Dr. Mrs. The Monarch and Jess is good ol' Molotov. Enjoy!

Molotov Cocktease and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch (Dr. Girlfriend) Pt. 2

2011-11-08T06:25:00.000-09:00

The video I made to try to explain the creation of our costumes. I hope it is helpful!

I also wrote about it in this entry.

Molotov Cocktease and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch (Dr. Girlfriend)

2011-11-07T19:34:00.001-09:00

Hello My Friends!

I wanted to share my latest project with you. I decided I would make a better effort to celebrate my favorite holiday. So this year, I made a Dr. Mrs. the Monarch costume for myself, and a Molotov Cocktease costume for my BFF Jess.

The results were great! These are the best costumes I have ever had the privilege to wear/make. I want to share the process with you guys. I made a video, but I sometimes think I'm more articulate in print.

Molotov Cocktease

For Jess' costume, we found a black unitard. All I had to do was cut it down the middle in the front and the back and it pretty much opened up the right amount. I hemmed the edges to clean it up, sewed the cups of bras onto the inside, and had her model the costume while I pinned strips of shiny red spandex to her. After that, I sewed some of the strips on with the machine and Jess helped by hand tacking the belts and garters in the correct spots.

We created her eye decor with a real eyepatch. We just glued a felt heart onto it, and voila! Awesome assassin eyewear. I made her boot covers and gloves with the same red spandex material I used to trim her costume. My video has an example of how I did this.

Dr. Mrs. The Monarch

I found a black unitard and cut it into the shape of Dr. Mrs. the Monarch's costume. I then added red spandex strips to create the monarch logo on the front. Once that was done I added the same yellow spandex I used to create my gloves, necklace, crown, and boot covers, to trim the costume's plunging neck/backline.

As a final touch, I added a sparkly yellow fabric for the Dr's wings, because I had never seen that before. Also, I am attracted to shiny things. I'm a bug eyed, brunette, stereotype. I know.

I'll be posting more pics tonight, but in the meantime, please enjoy the video below to see who inspired me to use the mannequin idea. These women are awesome!

Promo! 15% off of my shizzz :D

2011-07-23T10:54:00.000-08:00

Long time, no write, my friends! Currently, I am working on a series of Alaskan/New York paintings involving some people in my life. The most recent one is of my friend Kim. If you are able to guess which Alaskan animal she is based on I will send you a discount code to receive 15% off of purchases from my Etsy Account! Just email your answer to shayna.hawkins@gmail.com! The promo will expire on August 23rd, so don't wait!

Here is an image of the unfinished product:

Also, is anyone interested in birthday cards like this?

Just curious ;)

<3 - Shayna

3rd Ward Open Call

2011-04-01T02:27:00.006-08:00

I just submitted a portfolio for 3rd Ward's open call. You can see it by clicking on the link below.

If I get chosen, I will receive money, studio space, etc, to work on a solo show for three months. Also, if I get the most positive votes I get the people's choice award.

Please share this link with your friends, encourage them to share it, and make sure to vote for it every day (I guess you can vote once every 24 hours)!

Thank you all for your support <3!

http://www.3rdwardopencall.com/shaytown

Santas On The Move Dot Com Up and RUNNING!

2011-01-19T18:37:00.000-09:00

The website I designed for "Santas On The Move" is up and running! Let me know if you notice any bugs so I can try to fix them tomorrow :D Thanks again to all of our supporters! For up to date info regarding the film's status this is the best place to go. Just visit www.santasonthemove.com to check it out.

Movie Trailer!

2010-12-15T02:33:00.001-09:00

Front page of wired famousness?

2010-12-14T14:51:00.002-09:00

I stole that title from my friend, Jace, who posted this article to my facebook wall! Nick and I were interviewed for our documentary "Santas on the Move" on Sunday by Dan Glass, and this is the result. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did! Merry Early Christmas!

Robot Santa Discovers Meaning of Christmas at SantaCon

The Functions and Malfunctions of Santabot 2.0

2010-12-13T02:11:00.003-09:00

Here's a video where I explain all of the functions of Santabot 2.0

This video shows Nick explaining what is no longer working by the time we reached Central Park.

Makeup For Reindeer Games

2010-12-04T11:24:00.001-09:00

Control Panel, Check!

2010-11-10T16:15:00.004-09:00

As you may already know, I'm currently working as the artist/executive producer for a documentary called "Santas on the Move" (a film that explores the once yearly, and incredibly jolly event, Santacon). One of my most recent contributions for this film was creating a design used to laser-cut a control panel out of plexiglass. This control panel is going to allow the fellow Santas to interact with the Robot-Santa featured in this film. By a push of the button, a Santacon participant will be able to turn on the robot's lights, dispense candy, or activate its robot voice.

Santacon is only a month away, and I still have a lot to do! Between now and then I will be working on the Robot's paint job, designing an image to laser on moleskines as well as use for posters, and building an official website where we will post the final product of this documentary. I've got my work cut out for me, but I am very happy to be a part of this project :D

Yessir...we cut this bad boy with a laser...

Something cute to wake up to...

2010-11-09T02:22:00.006-09:00

Say good morning to Assiqtaq!

A little bit o' this...a little bit o' ... SQUID!

2010-11-07T14:12:00.003-09:00

I recently purchased a sewing machine, that of which I named Dapper Dan. The first thing I sewed on it was the tentacle skirt for my Ursula costume. I had never used a sewing machine before this, so for what little sewing experience I had, the skirt turned out pretty well. I got it done by Halloween day and walked the streets of Manhattan with Waldo and Mia (after she got stabbed in the heart by a hypodermic needle). I couldn't find an Ursula wig, and my purple face makeup didn't apply evenly, so I ended up scratching both and decided to improvise. I ended up looking more like a young Ursula, but my shell had an LED light in it that made it glow! It looked so cool.

Hope you had a Happy Halloween!

It's My Sunday!

2010-10-12T08:04:00.006-08:00

This week, Tuesday is my Sunday...and you know what that means...PORK CHOPS FOR EVERYBODY!!!

Okay, not really. I haven't had a pork chop since high school, to be quite honest. What this "Suesday" really means is: A new Shay-Town is in the works! I've been up since early this morning drawing out an idea (and watching episodes of "Better off Ted"). I lost a lot of the ideas that I already had during the move to New York, so I'm working from scratch. I'm also going to try a little harder to make better drawings. Hopefully they'll slowly evolve into some real eye pleasers, but provide the same crassness I've always strove for and adored.

I also completed page 4&5 of the Chronicles yesterday. Once I've completed page 6&7, I will mail the moleskine back to my brother and post my new additions to the site. Thank you Lucas, Andy, Sarah, Melissa, Tiffany and Philip, for becoming followers of Ben's and my project!

I will end this posting with a video of the MP3 Experiment Nick and I participated in 11 days ago. Quick tip: If you plan on going next year, make sure the mp3 player you bring to the event doesn't tend to skip, pause, or stop completely. I had to keep readjusting my file to the proper time...but it was totally worth it because I had so much fun!

There's a cat in her lap!

2010-10-01T14:16:00.010-08:00

Ahoy Thar Mateys!

I know that my bloggings have been few and far between these days. Thanks to the encouragement (and threats) of my best friend, Jess, I have decided to make a go at blogging on the regular again. Let's hope it lasts ;) If it doesn't, you have my permission to flog Jess. Flog her!

Speaking of Jess, last Sunday, she, Nick and I went to the Maker Faire to be awed and inspired by the nerds of New York. It was totally rad. I got to see a robot solve a rubix cube, a merry-go-round powered by rockets called the "Jet Ponies", and a life size version of the game "Mouse Trap". I also got my hands on some resin and molds, so look forward to seeing jewelry in my Etsy Shop in the near future ;)

One of the most recent additions to my shop is a pair of hand painted shoes called "Heart of Gold Pumps". These pretty shoes were originally silver with a faux snake skin texture. Now they've got a new look that has all of my friends wishing they had size 9 feet. If you know anyone who needs a pretty pair of fresh new kicks for a special occasion, send them my way ;)

On a different note, WE MADE OUR GOAL! Nick, Jess, Lance and I have been raising money for our documentary "Santas on the Move". On September 23rd, we reached the $2,500 we were shooting for seven days before the deadline. I cannot thank the people who pledged money towards our project enough. You guys rock <3

Well, it's now time for me to go. I will be participating in this year's "MP3 Experiment" tomorrow and want to be well rested for this hip happening ;) If anyone wants to come, let me know!!!

<3! - Shayna

Picture taken while I was working on my recent pair of hand-painted shoes:

Ch-ch-ch-chaaaanges

2010-08-18T19:43:00.005-08:00

Hello everybody!

I wanted to post a few updates just in case I still have an audience that yearns to know what is happening in my life*. It's been a long time, we all know it has, but I am finally forcing myself to sit down...and write a blog.

I'll try to keep it short.

One of the most exciting things that has happened to me as of late is the completion of my online portfolio at www.shaynahawkins.com. I began working on this little by little last month, and for the time being, I think this new site will serve as a nice portfolio for prospective clients. At least I think it will, until I master the fine art that is WEB DESIGNING! <-----insert ominous voice here.

This site includes a feed that allows you to rss the artist's information about current shay-vents (see what I did there? Ohhh yeah). It also features some of my most recent traditional, digital, and animated works. If you want to see my resume, BAM! It's there. Want to buy a print by yours truly? Double BAM! It's linked to my etsy shop!

You can go to this new store of mine by visiting shaynahawkins.etsy.com. As a matter of fact, I just uploaded a new print called "urban exposure" to my inventory. I hope you'll be able to check it out.

Speaking of checking things out, please take some time to look at this kickstarter project I was recruited for. It has finally been given a name: "Santas On The Move: The Santacon Robot Documentary". I'll be working as the graphic artist for the promotion of this documentary. I'm super excited about it because I went last year, and it was a blast.

I would like to close by introducing a new project of mine that I began on the 10th. Some of you may be familiar with my brother, Ben, an artist who currently resides in Fairbanks, AK. He and I used to get together for "Art Parties" at a local diner and draw for hours. Now that we're 4,000+ miles apart from each other, art parties are virtually impossible. However, I decided it was high time we come up with a substitute.

I went to a bookstore, bought a moleskine, drew on the first page, and then mailed it to Ben. We plan to take turns drawing on the pages of this book and mailing it back and forth until it is full. I coined the project "The Chronicles of B.S." You can actually visit a blog I created for it by clicking this link.

Anyway, I need to stop trolling the intarwebbz and go to bed.

I miss you all.

*this has never happened.

Ptoo!

2010-03-10T18:15:00.007-09:00

Ahhhh Wednesday. What a wonderful day. This Wednesday has been so great to me. The sun was shining, I was allowed to paint at work, and the stock market was kind to me*. Yet when it comes to me, it would seem, every fortune comes with a price. A very gross, unsanitary price.

Beautiful Brooklyn, my new home, my sexy sanctuary, blessed me with a new found wisdom that I intend to share with all of you. Brooklyn reminded me of the power of humility...and my oh my...I can't even begin to display the appropriate gratitude for this kind gesture.

Today, my dear readers, Brooklyn became a borough incarnate, taking the form of two very loud, angry, scrunchy-clad women. These women reminded me how lucky I am to have come this far. I moved 4,000 miles away from the peaceful drifts of snow and boredom, to be welcomed by these women with their wonderful words of kindness...

...and by "welcomed" I mean "expectorated on"...and by "with their wonderful words of kindness," I mean "with their revolting saliva".

Yes my darlings. I was spat upon during a stroll through my awesome neighborhood...on my favorite jeans, too. My friends and co-workers already have to deal with my awful coffee breath. Now I have to worry about my pants being haunted by smelly halitosis...or the serious gum disease GINGIVITIS.

Thank you Brooklyn.

Thank you for reminding me I resemble something that is socially acceptable to spit upon...like a sidewalk...or tiny, annoying dogs.

Actually, I make it sound like I was totally devastated by this chain of events, but I really had no clue that these two crazy ladies had directed their anger towards me as they were arguing. I was too excited about walking to the store to purchase fancy beer. I mean seriously...you should see this place's selection.

At first the ladies were in front of me, but as I was texting a friend and giggling, they seemed to think my jovial demeanor was an affront to their very "serious" argument. So they got behind Jess and I, and proceeded to threaten us. According to Jess, they said they were going to break her glasses so she would be forced to wear contacts. I overheard one of them talk about how they had spit on my pants as we walked through the super store's doors. I looked down, and by gum, they were right! There it was...a handsome globule of saliva drifting slowly down the threads of my jeans.

To my surprise I wasn't mad, or sad, or frustrated. I did worry for my health, but that's just due to an intense fear of foreign bodily fluids. I suppose I was mostly annoyed because I really just wanted to imbibe something tasty, and these morons kept me from doing this in a timely fashion.

But hey, it's okay Brooklyn. I still love you. I just need to start wearing water resistant gear when I walk around your sexy self from now on.

It's poncho time! Yeah!

*Note: I do not own stock. Nor do I venture to markets of any sort**.

**Double Note: Okay I lied. I love markets***.

***and cupcakes.

Here's the latest artwork I've created. The first pics are of two new bookmarks. I'm not sure why I'm so into drawing on those things lately. The last pic is of the tattoo I was commissioned to draw for my friend Kirstin. She wanted me to use the lion image on this scottish flag and have it rising from the ashes, like a phoenix. I heard she loves it.

K...I'm going to bed now. Hugs and kisses.

Shayna

NYC updaaaate

2010-03-06T05:07:00.015-09:00

Holy toledo.

I can't believe it's been four months since my last entry. It's been crazy since I've arrived in NYC. Jess and I were hired right away for a seasonal job at Macy's for about two months. However glamorous that may seem, being employed at that cesspool was the shittiest work experience I've had to endure my entire life. Some of my fellow employees were so vapid, they actually worked like we received commission for every sale we made, even though we didn't. We only made eight dollars an hour to have greedy assholes, disgruntled customers, and moronic managers yell at us in front of everyone. That pay pretty much only covered coffee and a pass for the train. The animosity really wasn't worth the lousy paycheck. This was the first job I have ever walked out on. Seriously.

My body rejected Macy's.

While I was having lunch on Christmas Eve, watching all the drones pass by, I found my body gravitating towards the Macy's employee exit. My mind kept yelling at my body
"NO! You're better than this, body of mine! I beckon you! Beseech you, even! Stay until the end of your shift!" But I kept walking. My mind continued to scream, telling me I needed the money, that I have too much integrity to leave in such an inconsiderate manner...but then my fist punched my face to quiet my mind's inane thoughts and my body walked me straight out of that temple of horrors.

I then proceeded to have the best Christmas ever.

Jess, Nick and I played rockband, drank spirits, and opened presents all night long. It was a blast. There was absolutely no pressure to maintain tradition, feign interest in what my rude extended family had to say, or wake up at a god awful early hour.

I was extremely excited about seeing Jess and Nick's faces when they opened the presents I made them. For Nick, I created a half-poney half-monkey monster to please him (please listen to Jonathan Coultan's song "Skullcrusher Mountain" so that you may feel enlightened...and better as a person overall).

I painted a flask for Jess that says "MILK". She had always wanted a flask that represented her drinking habits, so I made that flask in honor of her love for dairy. I was so pleased with how the flask came out, I plan to paint more flasks in the future.

As for my own personal work, I've been in a sort of stalemate with my creativity. Not because I don't have any ideas, but because I'm unable to find a place to execute my work. For some reason, I have to be in an environment that feels right, otherwise I just sit and stare at my monitor, or canvas, and draw a blank. It's the weirdest thing. It's not that I haven't been creating anything. I have been, but not for myself. I've been making things for other people, and because of that, I've been sort of hard on myself. I'm hoping that within the next month I'll be back in the swing of things and have more of my own personal work to share, not only here, but on Etsy and my website.

I'm going to close this blog with images of the other things I've created since I came to NYC. I will write more about the more positive things that are going on now that Jess and I are finally settling in, thanks to our new, and much better jobs.

I love and miss you all. I hope you're doing well and wish to hear from you soon <3

Love,

Shayna

When All the Birds Are Gone

2009-11-02T09:05:00.003-09:00

Please come see Kim Walker's BFA Thesis Exhibition "When All the Birds are Gone." She is not only one of my most cherished friends, but she is also an amazing artist who's work has always inspired me to try harder as an artist.

The opening reception is tonight, Monday, November 2, at 5pm.
If you can't make it this evening, the show will be up until the 16th of November.

313 Fine Arts Gallery
Art Complex
Fairbanks, AK 99775

Hooray!

2009-10-29T11:57:00.002-08:00

Today has been totally rad! I got to hang out with my sweetie, see the outside of my new apartment, and Law and Order CI is filming on my road! I saw Jeff Goldbloom! It took every ounce of energy in my body to prevent me from running over to him to squeeze him. He was like, three feet away from me :D

Also, you can see the statue of liberty from my road really well! I can't wait to have people visit! I'm on cloud nine!!! HOORAY!!!!!

No sleep 'til Brooklyn

2009-10-27T15:30:00.002-08:00

Hellooooooooooooooo everybody!

Today is my last day in Fairbanks! I'm so excited I keep throwing up in my mouth! Okay, not really, but I am certainly giddy. I have much to do throughout the day today, so I probably won't be able to see anyone before I head out. However, if I have some extra time I'm going to text everyone and force you to have a drink with me. Yes? Yes.

If I don't get to see you it's not because I don't love you. It's because I'm a procrastinator...and should be punished.

If you want me to send you a postcard, send me your address!

With much love!!!

MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Puppy Doing Absolutely Nothing! In a Sweater!

2009-09-23T19:08:00.003-08:00

Oh hai. It's me...Shaaaaayna.

If you've been wondering where I've been, the answer is inside my little dry cabin tucked away in an enchanted forest. I'm without internetz, hence my lack of tom-bloggery. Tricklings of entries may occur here and there, but believe you me...I will write with full force come November, as Jess (my bff) and I will be venturing to the big apple from this little Alaskan town. Adventures shall ensue, my friends...oh how the adventures will ensue...

Until then, enjoy this three seconds of Assiqtaq! In a sweater! Doing NOTHING!

Friendigamis

2009-08-20T06:44:00.001-08:00

ONLINE AUCTION!!!

2009-08-18T21:51:00.010-08:00

Hello friends :D

I need to sell my paintings before I move away, so I'm holding an online auction.

If you are interested in getting one of my original paintings or prints, please visit my ebay site or click on the listings below :)

If you live in Fairbanks, AK, I will refund the shipping costs :D!

Yeah RLY!

2009-06-23T17:56:00.003-08:00

I just finished my first mustache portrait (Thank you, Brad). I've got two other customers and am still taking orders if you're interested :D

I'll post a better version of this painting once I get my hands on one!

Do YOU Want a Handlebar Moustache?

2009-05-20T15:27:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody :D

So the other day I made my facebook status this:

"Shayna Hawkins will paint a small portrait of you with a handle bar mustache for the low low price of $50. Sans mustache? Double it."

I was mostly just being facetious because I didn't think anyone, other than myself, would be interested in paying that much for a portrait of themselves with an eccentric 'stache.

Oh, how I was wrong.

I already have three customers who are just as excited as I am to see themselves with sweet handlebar mustaches. HOORAY!

I will post pictures of them as soon as I finish them. I'll also be painting one of myself. If you're interested in one, email me at:

tickle.me.plaid@gmail.com

Later gaters!

Cuomo here Rivers

2009-05-01T09:18:00.012-08:00

Weezer was probably the first band that ever fell in love with. Sure, I had been sort of listening to Nirvana, the Breeders, and Metallica due to the interests of my older siblings. However, I never really felt like I could relate to a band until I first heard Rivers Cuomo sing "In the Garage". You see, Pre 7th grade, I was a skinny, ratty-haired girl who begged her brothers to let her play RPGs with them...in our garage. No joke. I rolled with 12 sided dice and knew exactly what River meant by "Dungeon Master's guide" the first time I heard him sing that line.

However, it wasn't just this relation that made me adore Weezer. There's something about Rivers' voice that, to me, seems so young and innocent, even now. The man is thirteen years my senior, but it's easy for me to forget that sometimes. As I grew up listening to the lyrics of the Blue Album through the Green, I felt as though the band was maturing with me; struggling and succeeding in love and life at the rate of Shay.

Yet after their third album, I started to lose interest in the band's music. I tried REALLY hard to enjoy Make Believe, but could only find a flicker of enjoyment from "My Best Friend," and to be honest I haven't really given the Red Album a chance. Until today, I couldn't help but wonder whether or not I'd ever enjoy anything produced by any of the band members ever again.

Luckily I read my friend Brenna's blog. She posted three video's of Rivers Cuomo singing live for stereogum.com in 2008 that I've completely fallen in love with. I'm going to post my favorite of the three, but will add links to the other two as well.

This video shows a live recording of the song "Can't Stop Partying". According to Weezerpedia:

"Can't Stop Partying" is a track from Alone II. Jermaine Dupri wrote the song and gave it to Rivers Cuomo because he claimed, as the Alone II liner notes say, that "the rock world and the hip-hop world were really the same: they were both all about partying."

I hope these fill your hearts with happy like it did for me <3!

Happy May Day!

Other Links:
Video #2
Video #3

cap'n gown

2009-04-30T23:16:00.004-08:00

I'm going to be super busy during the next week, so I'm going to make this entry short.

Here's a tiny list of things that have been awesome lately.

Awesome thing number 1:
I'm going to graduate next week and I'm actually going to walk. I wasn't going to before, but I've decided that it might feel like I'm crossing a finish line, which appeals to me slightly. Look for the cap that has "FTW" painted on it. I'm also working on an appropriate silly walk for this occasion. See Monty Python for details...

Awesome thing number 2:
I got a flower for being helpful :) I assisted the gallery coordinator and a few others during the jurying of this semester's student art show. We had to put pieces back in the studios they came from if they were rejected (ex: a sculpture would be taken back to the sculpture studio). The process took over 4 hours, but I stuck around because I felt super social that day, which is a rarity this semester. I got this rose right as they were starting to hand out the awards on opening night (I don't own a vase, but I think the juxtaposition of the rose and this crystal cascade bottle is totally rad).

Awesome thing number 3:
My painting "Squid Baby," won best in painting and my digital print "ROFLcopter" won best in digital art at the student art show. I've only received an honorable mention before (at the bear gallery for "Mupples"), so every time I got called for an award I felt shocked, somewhat embarrassed, and ecstatic. It was a strange mixture of feelings to say the least.

So here they are again...the pieces that made me $60 richer. I'm going to get fancy sauces for my ramen :D

© 2009 Shayna Hawkins

© 2009 Shayna Hawkins

OMG! It's VIRTUAL Whimsy!

2009-04-21T10:55:00.014-08:00

I want to make sure all of my family and friends are able to enjoy my gallery, even though some of you live too far away. So, I've compiled video, photos and links that will help you feel as though you were there, too! And if any of you are interested in purchasing any of the artwork, you can go to my previous blog HERE, to see the prices. I hope you all enjoy the tour <3!

This is a video of my show's opening reception. It was put together by my sweet boyfriend, Nick:

These peices are actually in the order you would see them on the walls if you started from the right side of the gallery and worked your way around it ("Good Morning...Darling!" being the first piece you would see). If you want to see larger images of the peices, click HERE:

This is the file that is looping on Computer 1 (of 3) in my BFA Thesis Exhibition "OMG Whimsy":

Animation 1:
"Mupples"
"Mupples" won an Honorable Mention at the Fairbanks Arts Association's Bear Gallery in the 2009 "New Media: art via digital technology" Exhibition. It is also featured on Aniboom's You-Tube Channel with over 12,000 hits.

Animation 2:
"KSUA Rocks!"
This animation has been featured on KSUA-TV, UAFs Student Television station. It is based on a logo I had created for the Student Radiostation KSUA 91.5fm in Fairbanks, Alaska.

This next file is the one that is looping on Computer 2 (of 3) in my BFA Thesis Exhibition "OMG Whimsy".

1st Animation:
"Emoti-Cat"
3-D Animation composited into video.

2nd Animation:
"Mash-Up"
A mix of some of my animations from the past and present. Music by Gage Choat.

3rd Animation:
"The Kite"
An animation I created based on the kite I created and painted for my beginning sculpture class. This is a rough animation and I plan to clean it up and change some things in the future. Music by Gage Choat.

Computer 3 (of 3) had a flash file that contained my Shay-Town comics. You can see what it looked like by clicking HERE.

Well there you have it, friends. I hope you enjoyed the virtual tour of my show! I'd like to take this moment to thank Jess for the help she gave me during set up, and for taking beautiful photos during my reception. I'm very lucky to have a professional photographer as a best friend. I would also like to thank Gage Choat for always being generous with his music. I am very fortunate to have a friend who creates songs that go so well with my humor and artistic style. And last, but certainly not least, Nick, who kept me sane during installation and helped me more than I could have ever asked for during this stressful time.

I love you all! Thanks for checking out my show!

<3 - Shayna

PS If you would like me to post the artist statement later, I will. I just need to find the jumpdrive it's on :D!

Prices for My Artwork

2009-04-20T19:34:00.008-08:00

A bunch of people keep asking me to post the prices for my art, so I'm going to list the prices I currently have listed in the gallery.

Good Morning Darling - $250
Brain Child - $500
~~Inner City Pressure - $450~~ SOLD
~~@ - $200~~ SOLD
~~<3 -~~ SOLD
~~Lollerskates - $50~~
Squid Baby - $450
Emoti-Pigs - $500
~~Phishing -~~ SOLD
Solitaire - $450
~~Not All Pets Are For Petting - $300~~ SOLD
~~ROFLcopter - $200~~ SOLD
Shay-Shay - $500

***Prices are negotiable within reason. Just email me at tickle.me.plaid@gmail.com to commence the haggling!***

I'm providing a slideshow of the artwork, but if you would like a closer look at the work you can check it out in this photo album.

Things to come...

2009-04-19T20:13:00.007-08:00

As most of my readers know, my BFA Thesis Exhibition "OMG Whimsy" is currently hanging in the UAF Fine Arts Complex Gallery. With the help of my wonderful best friend, Jess, and amazing boyfriend, Nick, I was able to get everything set up in the gallery before my thesis defense, with 15 minutes to spare. That's right. I had to defend my work after being awake for over 60-72 hours.

From what I've heard from other people who had to defend their art this semester, my defense went really well. Apparently, some people cry during these things, which really made me nervous. However, the questions weren't threatening, so during the Q and A I never felt like I was on the verge of tears. They had me talk about my work, asked a series of questions and then sent me out of the room. I was told to expect the art faculty to keep me in the hallway for 20-30 minutes, but after about 10 minutes of deliberation, they gave me the okay to open my show to the public.

Now it's been open since Monday, the 13th, and will continue to stay up until the 24th. I get up at 8am every morning to open the doors, set up the computers and turn on the lights. Then every night I return at 9pm to shut everything down. It's so strange to walk into a room full of my artwork staring back at me, especially in the morning. It feels so surreal. I think I'm really going to miss it when it's over.

I will be posting more photos and some video of the show in a day or so for those of you who can't enjoy "OMG Whimsy" in person. I hope you all like these future postings! Until then, here's a picture of me and the man that kept me sane and awake during the entire setup. It was taken by Jess at the Opening Reception of my show.

He has no idea how much I adore him <3

PS I adore you, too, Jess ;o)

My BFA Thesis Exhibit

2009-04-03T01:31:00.005-08:00

...it's happening whether I like it or not ;-)
I'll be working on this for the next week, so I will likely not blog until the opening.
Look forward to pics of the exhibit and my boyfriend's visit (he's coming up here for my show <3)

See you in a week or so!

Ain't no doubt about it...

2009-03-27T22:09:00.004-08:00

...I love mah Nickydactyl.

He made one for himself with me sticking my tongue out at him. I had no idea why he wanted me to send him a picture of myself sticking out my tongue, but it turns out it was for one of my favorite presents evAR! 4000 miles doesn't seem so far when we've got battleship to fill the void :D

Hee hee hee...he thinks he's going to kick my ass...he is going to cry with shame once I emasculate him and his fleet via red plastic pegs...

<3!

Sheep Surplus

2009-03-24T03:49:00.005-08:00

This is how I imagine the conversation went before this video was created.

"Consarnit Gerry, with the economy the way it is these days, how the hell are we going to feed all these damn sheep?" barked Emris.

"Don't worry Emris...I have a plan..." Gerry replied, his eyes twinkling.

Holy Crap Holy Crap HOLY CRAP!

2009-03-18T10:28:00.004-08:00

Aniboom is featuring "Mupples" on their you-tube channel today. It's already received 300 hits and 30 comments! I've never had anything commented on 30 times before!

You can check out Aniboom's channel here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/aniBOOM

and check out the video comments here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXAO6EIrpCs

The best part is, most of the feedback is positive so far. I'm so flipping happy right now :D This is just the type of motivation I needed to get on track for my next two animations, which will be featured at my solo exhibit in April (more on that later).

Three cheers for Mupples!

Tiger Tiger Burning Bright

2009-03-14T15:18:00.003-08:00

I haven't had much to blog about these days. I've been busy trying to find/create enough of my own artwork to throw together for my solo show in April. All I have on my mind really is "I need to graduate, need to paint, need to animate, need to eat, need to move away ...need to GRADUATE." So instead of boring you with repetitive blogs about how I'm stressing out about the upcoming months, I will entertain your senses with things I find on the internet that intrigue me. First up is a video called "Tyger" by Guilherme Marcondes of Brazil. It is based on the William Blake poem, The Tiger. The way he incorporates several methods to create this short is astonishing, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.

Alice

2009-03-06T00:15:00.002-09:00

I can't stop listening to this today.

"The music video for my song 'Alice', an electronic piece of which 90% is composed using sounds recorded from the Disney film 'Alice In Wonderland'."

As Randall Monroe once stated...

2009-02-26T02:19:00.007-09:00

I'm a grown-up now, and it's my turn to decide what that means.

(picture of 2nd annual bed-set swap. My dog thinks bedding is tasty.)

Kittens inspired by kittens!

2009-02-13T23:48:00.001-09:00

This video makes me so flippin' happy :-)

Gigglesnortus Rex

2009-02-08T00:06:00.015-09:00

Most of the time, when I happen upon things "past-me" has created, I tend to recoil with embarrassment. However, every once in a while, I am lucky enough to find something that makes me chuckle with delight. Past-me has done it again with her lab report on benthic organisms from 2006! That's right!

For this particular lab, we had to observe large and small benthic organisms either under a microscope or in jars (or both...I can't really remember). However, the answers to the lab questions aren't really what make me el oh el en mis pantalones. No, no, it's the pictures past-me drew for the lab that make me giggle. Every organism examined needed to be sketched next to the observations we made for them, and apparently, I did a most excellent job catching the essence of each organisms' personality. I wonder if the TAs found the drawings refreshing or completely frustrating...?

Here are my favorite ones (from least fave to most fave):

Grrr...

Happy Phallus?

Nom nom nom

...my mother was a baboon

Wink!

Sigh...Tuesdays...

If I were a man...

2009-02-06T01:34:00.010-09:00

...I'd totally be able to rock a mullet. At least that's what I've gathered from a picture generated by The University of St. Andrews' Face Transformer. They have developed a fun toy that allows you to change your age, sex, ethnicity...etc, by uploading a photo to their website.

I found it pretty entertaining, so I not only used the transformer on my picture, but on Jess and Nick's as well. You can go straight to the transformer by clicking here.

The site also provides a face averager, a morpher and a face detection device. I still need to experiment with the other features a bit more, but I thought I'd share the results of my transformations now. Enjoy :)

*Disclaimer* I didn't pick the names they gave each category, so if you're offended, blame St. Andrews.

"Face of the Future is an EPSRC funded public engagement project aimed at exploring the latest advances in facial computer vision and graphics, and what they mean for society.

The project has developed a number of standalone interactive exhibits, online demos and a lecture presentation aimed at engaging the public with the technology and the social implications of the technology." - Face of the Future Homepage

Facebook Spam or 25 Things About Me

2009-01-29T00:48:00.009-09:00

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

1. I like to eat food so spicy that it makes me sweat...but then regret it later when it has finally found the exit sign of my digestive system. (I'm talking about number 2, my friends).

2. I aspire to one day be funny to people other than my best friend Jess.

3. I'm fond of eating veggies straight out of the can. No time for cooking, only eating.

4. I can see the hidden images in mind's eye pictures instantly. It's one of my many useless talents I obtained in during my youth.

5. I can beat all of you at a cheese eating contest. Buy a ton of cheeses and I'll prove it to you. The fancier the better XD If you're lactose intolerant we can use cupcakes instead...or bacon.

6. I have an iron stomach and will try any food at least once. Parents tend to love me because of this fact. Slimy turkey sandwich meat is one of the only foods that makes me gag when I try to eat it.

7. When I was 6-7 years old, my family lived in a dry cabin that had a kitchen, a living room and a loft. At that time there were four kids in my family and my parents, so the six of us shared the loft. We'd stack our mattresses against the walls every morning to give the room more space. I hope I never had to live in a place with an outhouse ever again.

8. The song I always listen to when I want to cheer myself up was given to me in a mix. It's called "I'm Pretty Sure I Can See Molecules" by Troubled Hubble. I don't know why, but I flippin' love it. "Grand" by Matt and Kim is slowly working it's way up the ladder, though.

9. My boyfriend Nick has been my muse since May of 2007...way before we thought we'd actually date.

10. I am able to do that weird thing where you cross your legs above your thighs instead of below them without using my hands to aid the process...although I can only do it if I start with my right leg.

11. When I'm socializing in new situations, the people I enjoy most are the ones who actually listen as much as I do.

12. For the most part, I only brush my hair before I get into a shower, mainly to reduce the amount of hair that collects in the drain.

13. If I find pubes on my toilet, I know they're not mine (I'm looking at you, roomies).

14. I figured out where the muscles, which allow me to wiggle my ears, are located when I raised my eye brows one day. After that I could always wiggle them and eventually taught myself how to wiggle one at a time. When I was little, I measured ones greatest on his or her ability to wiggle facial features on command. I still do.

15. I could gauge whether or not I could fit into something depending on whether or not my head could fit through it until I was about 12. Damn maturity and the bodacious hips it's blessed me with.

16. I wish I could have a pet cuttlefish. I think they are the coolest things ever.

17. I reaaaaally want a shirt that has a kitten playing with a ball of yarn printed on it...or one where its sitting in front of a rose. Mostly due to nostalgia, but also because kittens rock.

18. I get abnormally excited when I see wildlife I'm not exposed to on a regular basis. Ask my boyfriend...he and his mom had to stare at fat sea lions that weren't doing anything for 20 minutes because I was so captivated by their (lack of) behavior. I also love animal planet and all programs that document animals and their lifestyles.

19. I have a wicked scar above my right eye. I was hit on the head when I was five with a metal baseball bat by a 6th grader. I was in my own little world and didn't realize I was right behind the hardest hitter during a game in my apartment complex(my imagination can be that intense).

20. The first boy I fell in love with was a boy name Clifford. He was the one who carried me to my apartment after I was hit on the head with the bat. He shared the name of my favorite big red dog and he saved me even though I was covered in blood. He was in sixth grade so my love for him was unrequited. He played with me a few times after my accident, but eventually told me he didn't want to anymore.

21. I miss drawing my comics. I want to try to create one every week this semester, but they're super time consuming, so I can't promise anything. I also realize now that creating a comic loosely based on my life can be somewhat uncomfortable.

22. I got my cat an expensive collar because I felt bad about the hair cut she had to get recently:
Exhibit A: http://tinyurl.com/bt2fqh
Exhibit B: http://tinyurl.com/cw8vmr

23. I have three sisters and two brothers. Even though we don't get to see each other very often, I get a long with all of them really well. I consider Jess a sister, too, so it's more like 4 sisters and two brothers.

24. My favorite story about my dad occurred when he worked for Denali as a bus driver. The gist of it is this: He surprised a gaggle of Germans that nestled on his bus by asking them for a urine and stool sample in their native tongue. They thought it was hilarious.

25. Writing this much about myself is really hard. Next time I'm going to make Jess do it by holding her cat hostage.

I laugh in the face of cold

2009-01-23T10:38:00.009-09:00

I finally have a few minutes to sit down and write up a little synopsis about my 18 day adventure.

On the first of January I avoided the harsh -45F temperatures by flying to New York and spent 11 days there hanging out with my boyfriend, Nick. Some of my favorite moments in NYC included seeing the two floors of the Guggenheim that were actually open (renovations are so inconvenient), being overwhelmed by the Dick Blick store in Manhattan, and playing rock band with Nick. Although I really enjoyed the time we spent there, I really had the most fun with him in Seattle and San Francisco. Maybe the change of pace was what made it so awesome.

When we flew into Seattle we got to hang out with Rachael, Alexsis and her sister, their friend Dan and his girlfriend, Richard and HB. Alexsis, Nick and I started off the day by running to a Russian deli to buy peroshkis and then made our way back to Rachael and Alexsis' apartment. When we got there, Alexsis baked delicious peanut butter/hershey kisses cookies, which I ate the majority of. Then Alexsis, Nick and I ventured to the library Alexsis works at. It is frickin' awesome. The architecture is interesting, you get to check out and return the books by yourself, and when you get to the top floor, the view is amazing...not to mention the fact that they seem to have a most excellent selection of books.

When we finished the grand tour of Alexsis' workplace, we made our way to the Owl and Thistle, which happens to be an Irish pub (Alexsis would not have it any other way). The bench seats were very comfortable and the ambiance actually made me quite sleepy. We ordered happy hour drinks and a TON of food. The shepherd's pie is totally off the hook there. After a while HB and Richard met up with us and Nick and I went to a place called Brouwer's with them. That place has more beers on tap than I've ever seen in one place. It was amazing. After we closed that bar down, we got some McDonald's and then crashed at HBs. Four hours later we were up and on our way to the airport to catch our flight to San Francisco.

When we got to the airport they informed us that our flight was too full so our baggage could not be checked. They ended up booking us on the following flight to San Fran. When we arrived, we were greeted by Nick's mom. It was really nice to finally meet a part of his family. She had to work the next day, so Nick and I drove to Santa Cruz, enjoyed the beaches, and ate delicious pizza from a place called Pleasure Pizza. That was probably my favorite day from the entire trip, although I had a great time visiting SFMOMA and Alcatraz with Nick and his mom.

Anyway, my intention was to write a short summary of events but it seems that I'm on my way to writing a novella, so I'll end it here. I'm just extremely happy that I got to share 18 days with the person I love. I can't wait to be done with school so I can see him on a regular basis again.

Me at Otto's Shrunken Head

Nick and I at the Guggenheim

Alexsis at the Owl and Thistle

Richard and HB at Brouwer's

Nick and his mom, Roxanne, at Alcatraz

Adios Muchachos!

2009-01-01T01:55:00.005-09:00

Hello friendidilies!

I'm leaving for New York City in about 3 hours, and just wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year before I take off :D

So...HAPPY FRICKIN' NEW YEAR!!!

I'll be in NYC until I fly to Seattle on the 12th. On the 13th I will be on my way to San Francisco to meet my boyfriend Nick's mom for the first time.

I'll be back on the 18th with much to blog about, I'm sure.

Until then, my dear readers, I say Adieu (although, I'll likely blog about things while I'm away, so you'll probably hear from me before my return to Fairbanks.)

I'll miss you all.

Love,

Shayna

PS Please take care of my Jess while I'm gone XD

Rubber Duckie Goes Resin

2008-12-15T00:51:00.008-09:00

I have had a really hard time dragging myself to the blogosphere lately. But today, dear readers, I'm going to teach you how to cast your very own objects using a silicon mold. IT'S EFF YOU EN!!!

1. The first step is to find yourself an object. I chose a rubber ducky because I wanted to make it have the opposite function it normally has i.e. it would be a sad, sinking toy.

Once you have found the object you want to cast, glue it to something sturdy, like a slab of wood, and then cover it with a thin layer of Vaseline.

2. The next step is to mix the silicon that will soon be covering your object. You have to be pretty precise when doing this, otherwise it will harden too fast, or not harden at all.

For our silicon mixture, we used:

10 parts TINSIL 70-25 RTV SILICONE RUBBER part B
1 part TINSIL 70-25 RTV SILICONE RUBBER part A (the catalyst)

*We added a thickening agent to Part B before we added part A so the silicon wouldn't slip off of our objects. For the mixture below, only a dimesworth of thickening agent was needed.

3. Once you've mixed the silicon completely, apply it to your object. Usually people use an old paint brush that they don't care about destroying, but that day we didn't have one, so we used a plastic knife I found in my backpack.

It's very important to make the walls of the silicon thick, so another layer for an object this size was necessary. After waiting 24 hours, repeat steps 2 and three to add a second coat.

4. After you've waited another 24 hours for the second coat of silicon to dry, you can begin to form the protective and preserving layer of plaster on top of the object. It's a good idea to cover half of the object with plaster, let it dry, and then move on to the second half. The reason for this is because you need to be able to easily split it apart so you can take your silicon mold out every time you fill it with material.

To separate one side from the other, we used clay.

5. Once the first side dries (which usually happens in less than twenty minutes), You can begin adding plaster to the other side. When all of the plaster is completely dry, carefully separate the sides with a hammer and chisel.

6. Now pour whatever you want into your awesome new mold (preferably something that won't damage the silicon). I used resin and cement for my ducks, but I saw others use plaster and even glue to make their objects.

*Note: You will need to use wire or a rubber band to ensure that your plaster stays together firmly. I used duct tape...and we all laughed and laughed as we called it Duck tape...

...the poorly ventilated fumes in the sculpture studio did some damage this semester...

Here's a picture of the first ducky I made. It's the only resin one I have. All of the other ones I made were out of cement, which you will likely see soon :)

;_;

2008-12-03T10:37:00.005-09:00

Once upon a time, there was a little, curly-haired girl named Shay-Shay. Barely two years old, Shay-Shay's concept of life and death was non-existent, which is to be expected. However, the events of one fateful day forced the harsh reality of mortality to come crashing down into the young girl's world.

Entranced by the curious wonder known as "your older brother's goldfish," Shay-Shay was overwhelmed with the desire to pet this strange creature. One day, when no one was looking, she picked up the delicate specimen and began stroking it's scales and fins. Everything seemed to be going according to plan*, until the shrill cry of her older brother Dan sliced into the once peaceful moment.

It turns out, not all pets are for petting.

One of my most recent paintings is based on the event I just described. It is currently hanging in the Student Art Show in the Gruening Gallery (on the main floor).

You can visit the show any time between 9am-5pm until the 12th, but the official opening is Thursday, the 4th, at 5pm. It's a really good show this semester, so if you're a fan of art, come to the opening :D!

*Shay-Shay's Plan:
Step One: Pick Up Goldfish
Step Two: Pet Goldfish
Step Three: Happy!

Oh My LOL

2008-11-18T14:51:00.010-09:00

Do you ever rediscover something from you past, only to struggle internally as you decide whether or not this artifact (excavated from your ignorant youth) is a beautiful gem or a disgusting turd that should be flushed down the most foul public toilet, never to be seen again?

Today, I faced this conundrum after I was emailed by an angelfire.com member. Apparently, this person wanted me to join their "AllSport[s]Blog". I was confused at first, because the email insinuated that I had an angelfire website with the address ak5/akgrrlsarethebestest.

"Preposterous!", I thought to myself, "I am, by far, more clever than that!" however, once I typed the ridiculous URL in my address bar, a disturbing site, which houses images raped by photoshop filters and eye-molesting lens flares, appeared.

I was suddenly force fed the brain child of an 18 year old Shayna, that of which was extremely hard for me to look at or read. I know that the site was likely the result of an internet authoring class I had taken almost 8 years ago (and at that time my work ethic was practically non existent), but c'mon...lens flare?

At any rate, it did help stir up memories from my past I normally would never have remembered on my own. I can't recall that Tony Knowles commercial I mentioned near the end, but I will always be an advocate for stimulating the Alaskan economy, especially if it involves visits from out-of-state friends.

As for the site itself, I'm still trying to decide whether or not I should attempt to remove it, or let it bask in all its cheesy glory. I bet 280 of the recorded 305 visits were from me marveling at my handy work.

I am so embarrassing.

Taft's Bath

2008-11-06T18:41:00.004-09:00

In honor of this election year, the painting students were required to paint a United States president before the 4th. All of the paintings were then hung up in the Gruening Gallery for the President's Show (which will be up until November 14th).

I chose to paint William Howard Taft at the exact moment he got stuck in the White House bath tub.

I'm proud of how well I painted his areolas.

Make it BLUE

2008-11-05T17:40:00.007-09:00

I haven't felt patriotic in years. I was probably still losing teeth the last time I did.

But last night, as I watched Obama speak in Chicago, my eyes flooded with tears and my heart swelled with pride.

He may have his work cut out for him, but I truly believe he and his administration will help my country persevere.

I'm so proud to be an American right now.

The video above was created for MTV by Dani Carlson, which may have been featured on TRL. She took the footage at the UAF Pub, which is where I was when I found out the good news. I'm at the very end of this clip (right behind the people who clink their glasses).

I might look sad, but those are tears of joy, my friends.

Your Vote Doesn't Count...

2008-11-04T10:26:00.004-09:00

...only when you decide not to vote.

Please remember the men and women who endured great hardships to ensure that every U.S. citizen has the right to vote, regardless of gender, creed, culture or race.

Their dreams have been realized.

Now it's our turn to go out and make sure ours are, too, by voting for what we believe in.

Don't forget to visit the polls today (November 4, 2008).

Large Nose Affinity

2008-11-01T18:26:00.006-08:00

Hiya friends :D

I officially finished my History Course this Friday. That's right. I, Shayna "Mermaid Hair" Hawkins Esquire XXXIII Jr., successfully completed an entire history course in a little over five days time.

Feel free to shower me with tasty pastries.

Also, now that I'm not freaking out about whether or not I can finish my history course, I think I'll be able to produce a lot more artwork, so stay tuned for that.

Speaking of art, "The President Show"'s official opening date is on November 4th (election day) at 5:30pm. A lot of the art students are required to submit a drawing, painting or print of a U.S. President for this event. I got to see some of the paintings when I dropped mine off and a lot of them look really good. I painted William Howard Taft for mine. If you're familiar with Taft's history and know me, then you'll probably be able to guess how I painted him before you even see it ;P (Hint: It involves rubber duckies).

Stop by if you can!

Start Time:
Monday, November 3, 2008 at 8:00am
End Time:
Friday, November 14, 2008 at 7:30pm
Location:
301 Gruening Building
Street:
University of Alaska Fairbanks
City/Town:
Fairbanks, AK

Booyakasha!

2008-10-28T03:02:00.005-08:00

I'm officially halfway through my distance ed course (HIST 131).

Woo hoo *yawn*

My only regret so far is that I waited this long to actually make a dent in this course. I want to absorb the information, take my time while I read the material, and reflect on what I've just learned. At times I find myself getting immersed in the story rather than picking out the necessary information needed to get this course done in a timely manner.

Oh well. I'll still have the book once I'm finished :)

Wish me luck, or preferably, a coherent-state-of-insomnia-cocktail garnished with a very looooong attention span.

It Needs to Focus

2008-10-26T23:37:00.005-08:00

I'm going to try to avoid the internet until about 5pm on Thursday, as I have over half of a Distance Ed course to finish in 4 days time. As a matter of fact, I'm going to avoid computers all together, since I tend to find other projects to work on instead. For example, I created a new blog for my radioshow today while I was working on my homework. It's awesome, but isn't going to get me a passing grade.

You can check it out here.

Anyway, the point of this post is to let you guys know that if I don't appear online for a while, it's likely because I'm holed up in my apartment, acting neurotic and wishing I was in a studio working on things that matter to me.

I will find any way possible to procrastinate

2008-10-25T20:56:00.004-08:00

Which is why I'm writing this blog right now.

I have to finish an entire distance ED course in five days, but instead of working on it, I've decided to watch animated videos about pandas. Holy crap they're so cute.

PS Check out this video Jess showed me. It's called Take on Me: Literal Version:

Tribute

2008-10-24T00:31:00.004-08:00

I love "A Softer World" strips and my dear friend Kimi.

So tonight, dear readers, I decided to make an ASW type strip using a picture of mi compadre.

Please spare a vote for mupples <3

2008-10-19T03:27:00.002-08:00

Three days ago, I received an unexpected email from a representative of Aniboom, a website where people are able to gain exposure for their animations.

Hey shayna

Recently I came across Mupples, and was really impressed.

I am the Content Recruitment Coordinator at aniboom.com and I think you have an excellent chance of winning our 3rd Annual Aniboom Awards 2008, the leading online animation festival boasting $50,000 worth of prizes.

I would like to invite you to submit your work to the competition, the submission process is very user friendly and only takes a moment.

I’d love to hear any thoughts you may have, or answer any questions , please feel free to contact me.

Cheers,

Anat

The aniBoom Team

I'm not sure if the email sent to me is a generic one that they send to anyone who posts animations on the web, or if this person actually was impressed with my handy work. Either way, I decided to give the competition a shot.

If you'd like to help my animation get exposure, you can do so by following the instructions on this page: Clicky.

To get to my animation, you can either click on the animation below, or go to this link: Mupples!

The more votes and page visits I get, the better my chances are to gain exposure from the masses. So if you like it, please vote for "Mupples".

Thanks for your help ♥

PS I made a few changes to the animation. Maybe not enough to be noticeable, but enough to steal 6 hours away from my life. I hope you enjoy it again (or for the first time!)

Watch more cool animation and creative cartoons at aniBoom

Decorate yer car's derrier ;P

2008-10-16T11:08:00.004-08:00

Hey Everybody!

The KSUA campaign stickers I designed finally arrived! Stop by the KSUA office to pick one up or give me your address so I can send some to you...or something.

We only purchased 250 of them, so they will likely go extremely fast.

Have a great day!

It wasn't a fish all along ;_;

2008-10-14T01:53:00.004-08:00

One of the coolest things I've had the opportunity to do this semester is cast bronze pieces with cuttlefish bones.

That's right, the bones of those adorable squid-like molluscs that live in the sea.

The calcareous internal shell of these cute creatures is incredibly soft, and very difficult to carve small details into. I ended up carving two different pieces. The first one was a simple design of a stick figure with an "XD" head.

I ended up finishing that design so quickly that I found myself sitting around watching other people carve their cuttlefish, completely bored out of my mind. We had a lot of time left before we were able to pour molten bronze into the bone, so I decided to try a more complex design. I carved a girl sitting on a dock with a fishing line (there's a fish at the end).

After everyone was done carving, we sealed the bones with wire and putty to ensure that the cuttle fish wouldn't break open as the metal was poured inside them.

We then surrounded the cuttlefish with sand in a can and poured the melted bronze into the belly of the bone. I know it's going to sound weird, but watching bronze melt is actually really entertaining. It's incredibly bright (even with goggles on) and kind of looks like a star slumping from its own heat until it turns into metal soup.

After the bronze cooled down enough, we ran our cuttle fish to the sink to break them open and to rinse the metal off.

We then cut off all of the excess metal, sandblasted the pieces, buffed them, polished them, and some of us added patinas to them (I didn't patina the girl because I like how she turned out, but I plan on adding it to the "XD" dude to give it some color).

I'm finished with the detailed piece, but still have work to do on my simpler one. Here is what I have so far:

I'll try to post better pictures of them when "XD" dude is completely finished.

Video Postcards, M'Dears

2008-10-05T10:45:00.005-08:00

As you all know, because you're ALL loyal readers of my blog*, Jess and I have work hanging in the Bear Gallery and the Annex this month**. Since Jess' family is so far away, I agreed to help her make video postcards of our First Friday experience for her parents.

This was the first time Jess had ever entered anything into an art show outside of the University. I've only submitted one other time (aside from the student art shows I've been in). It was the Sequential Art Show of 2007. I had no idea my work was actually accepted until someone called me up on First Friday while I was in Portland to tell me they saw my comic hanging up at the Annex. I was bummed I missed the opening of the show.

So this First Friday was exciting for both of us, because it was the first one we've been to where our art was hanging on the gallery walls.

The first video is from our stop at the Bear Gallery***. The second was filmed while we were at The Annex. I decided to share them with you guys, too...so you can feel like you were there as well.

This show was "The 64th Parallel", a juried, annual exhibition that only accepts 64 pieces of artwork. Here is an article that describes it in better detail: Interior artists present 64 pieces at the 64th parallel.

The show at the Annex was "The 4th Anniversary OPEN Exhibit". Every piece of artwork that was submitted to the gallery this month was accepted. It's a fun show because things are hung in clusteres rather than the typical gallery format. There was wine, soft chocolate chip cookies, and a painted naked chick doing a bizarre performance. It was pretty rad.

*I do NOT suffer delusions of grandeur...sorta.
**If you couldn't make it to First Friday, do not dispair. Our work will be hanging in these two galleries during the entire month of October :)
***I just need to point out that my sister Andy DOES belong. If I don't write this disclaimer she'll destroy me with her mighty fists of fury.

FAI->EWR->SEA->SFO->FAI

2008-10-03T02:49:00.001-08:00

This January, I plan to embark on a journey, that of which requires my attendance on seven (that's right, seven) planes. Not all at once, mind you. That would require smoke, mirrors, and perhaps a hacksaw to be successful.

No, dear readers, my plan is to hop from plane to plane to three different cities within an 18 day period: New York, Seattle and San Francisco. Here's the itinerary:

1. I will fly to New York to hang out with my Nick from the 1st until the early morn' of the 12th. If any of my peeps (that's you!) will be in the vicinity at that time, plan for awesome hangouts with me and my boi (because you still need to meet him).

2. On the 12th, Nick and I will be flying to Seattle to hang out with all of our Seattleites for one fun-filled day. I think all of our Portland friends should come up, too...because I miss you...and stuff...so there :P

3. After our day of much needed visits, the two of us will fly into San Francisco to visit Nick's mom until the 18th. This will be the first time I meet her, so it is both exciting and frightening. I shouldn't be worried, because as far as I know, none of my boyfriend's moms have disliked me in the past. But you never know when your luck with parent's will run out.

Maybe if I cover myself with products mothers like and approve, she will find me acceptable...you know...products like Jiff Peanut Butter and Kix.

I think I'm on to something...

Giddy Betch

2008-10-01T16:34:00.003-08:00

Oh hai frendz :P

I'm hoping that you guys don't have much planned this Friday between the hours of 5pm and 8pm.

Why, you ask? Well my darling dudes, this Friday just so happens to be First Friday, the day you go out to the galleries scattered across town to see all of the new art hanging within their walls (whilst eating tasty free food).

But wait...why am I suddenly interested in promoting such a day?! The answer is simple, really:

Jess and I have artwork hanging in The Bear Gallery and The Annex during the month of October XD!

That's right!

So add a little culture to your diet and come out to First Friday (10/03/08)!

I got me grr face on >8(

2008-09-28T03:51:00.004-08:00

I can't fall asleep, damnit. I've been up since 8am yesterday and ended up running around all day between work, my radioshow, various errands...etc. Once midnight rolled around, I decided I should go to bed. Before I slipped under my covers, I drank some of the cough syrup that was prescribed to me last week, that of which supposedly houses codeine. Either the bottle has lies written all over it, or codeine has reverse effects on me. I've been taking that syrup since last Wednesday, and it doesn't help me sleep one bit. As a matter of fact, my brain tends to become even more active than it normally is when I try to go to bed after drinking that liar juice (most of my artistic ideas typically come to me when I'm trying to go to sleep...it's my brain's creative prime-time).

So here I am, writing a blog at 3:30 in the goddamn morning. The first time I got up was around 1 am, because I finally figured out how the floor needs to be organized and decorated when I do my thesis show (coming this spring to an art gallery near you). I arose from my faux slumber a second time to write down new painting ideas that decided to make appearances in my overactive noggin. Finally, after Assiqtaq roused me so she could play and urinate in the freshly fallen snow, I decided it was time to give in.

Insomnia is a harsh mistress, and today, I'm her sleep deprived bitch.

Bah! Enough of my whining...here are some pictures of Assiqtaq playing and urinating in the snow. (Hey, at least I'm not a liar...stupid syrup).

Crap I'm Proud Of

2008-09-27T23:19:00.003-08:00

Numero Uno :

I have my very own studio space! It's a cozy little nook tucked away in the BFA/MFA-students' turf...the painting studio's basement. My teacher even made a shelf for me when he noticed that I was still painting the nesting dolls for my "Old Lady" stop-motion animation.

I finally have a comfortable place to work.

When I'm down there, I never want to leave.

Numero Dos:

I actually got around to taking pictures of the bulletin board I designed for KSUA. I basically printed the 4' x 8' image on 8.5" x 11" sheets of paper, and then stapled them together. I thought it would end up looking sloppy, but was pleasantly surprised when I proved myself wrong.

KSUA has turned out to be yet another artistic outlet for the creative cat within me...watch as I purr with a fork in hand... *¡Zapp!*

If you liked long cat...

2008-09-22T23:23:00.001-08:00

...then you're going to love LONG DOG!

I got to watch Pike for a day, and he is oh so very loooooooooooong. I made a video with footage of both Assiqtaq and himself, to demonstrate his mighty length:

I tried to take pictures, but the size difference wasn't as obvious.

Birds gotta fly...

2008-09-22T03:58:00.000-08:00

...and fish get added to KSUA cork boards when I'm program director.

This is a design I've been wanting to create for a while. I'm hoping that it will make KSUA's hallway look presentable. The original file is designed to fit the 4' x 8' board outside the DJ booth.

I made birdies to post around it, too! ^^ I want to make this one a shirt:

lol@sisters

2008-09-19T03:08:00.000-08:00

They're so dramatic.

KSUA for Prez, laaaadies ;D

2008-09-15T04:53:00.000-08:00

It has recently been revealed that KSUA 91.5 FM College, a Fairbanks based radio station, will also be running for President this year.

I was asked by KSUA personally to create bumper stickers for this momentous occasion.

This is what has kept me up until 5 in the morning today. I'd complain, but it was more entertaining than cutting circles out of cardboard (which will soon be sculpted into a squid...hopefully. I'll touch more on that subject later).

So anyway, this is what I have so far. Enjoy it now, because it is subject to change.

'Night sleepyheads.

Lookie what I found!

2008-09-01T12:13:00.000-08:00

These are the types of things I find while walking to work:

You can weave so many stories in your head when seeing two objects, such as these, lying next to one another near the sidewalk.

Were the condoms defective, hence the need for the pregnancy test?

Did the purchaser decide to celebrate (this time, well equipped with condoms) once the pregnancy results came up negative?!

Were the items discarded by the same person, or were they littered near each other by chance?

Only DNA tests will tell.

*slaps on latex glove*

I hath returnethed...or something.

2008-08-29T14:30:00.000-08:00

Hey dudes. I'm back from NYC. I had a lot of fun hanging out with my boyfriend and even navigated the mean streets of the city by myself for a couple of those days.

Here are some pictures from the trip. They're all mixed up with pics of Coney Island, a bar...etc., but the ones that may seem the most out of place came from my lone adventure to the Museum of Natural History.

Enjoi :D

New Shay-Town Comic

2008-08-14T08:28:00.000-08:00

I just posted a new Shay-Town.

You can see it at:

My Deviant Art Site

My Myspace Blog (If you're my myspace friend)

or

My Shay-Town Blog

Thanks to those of you who continue to stay interested in my comics :D It makes me want to keep doing them.

new york is waiting

2008-08-12T00:33:00.000-08:00

My sweet boyfriend got me a ticket to NYC, so I will be enjoying his company from the 15th-25th of August. I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself. I miss him dearly.

If any of you want to play with an adorable puppy dog while I'm gone, just get a hold of Jess and she'll let you run around with Assiqtaq :D

Also, if you need anything from the big apple, let me know before Friday (or you can call me while I'm in NYC).

Here's a slideshow of some of the pictures that were taken during Nick's visit in June:

I'm attacking the darkness!

2008-08-10T00:04:00.000-08:00

So, I had already seen a different version of this video a long time ago, but I discovered this 8-bit version of it tonight. I like it so much more than the other videos I've found using this recording by "The Dead Ale Wives".

I love how happy the black mage is when he decides to cast "magic missle" ^^!

And yes, for those of you out there who are curious...I DID play D&D when I was younger. I had an awesome cat familiar and fought beholders, dark elves and vampires.

ROCK!

Who needs sleep anyway?

2008-07-31T02:07:00.000-08:00

Not this girl.

So it's 2:15 in the a.m. and I'm supposed to be working on my u.s. history homework right now, but I got distracted by a new comic idea.

Basically, I'm going to draw a very short, very crappy comic once, thrice, maybe even five times a week to define a word I may or may not have heard before.

I'm calling it "applied learning". If it goes well I'll give it a link off of my Shay-Town site. Until then, it will be hosted at another blog of mine called appliedlearningcomix.blogspot.com.

I made one tonight.

Go ahead.

Learn a word (or understand the joke right away, you dork).

PS this might be KSUA's new bumper sticker. If not, I'll show you the REAL new KSUA bumper sticker once I make another one.

Oh Birdie-Boo, you're so cute

2008-07-28T21:40:00.000-08:00

My two little sisters and I weren't exposed to organized religion as much as my 3 older siblings were growing up. So when I heard that my 11 year old baby sister, Beryl Rae, was going to church camp, I was a bit surprised. I mean, my mom talks about how she loves Jesus Christ and all that jazz, but the three of us young'ns never really got any formal reliducation from our parents or church.

Everything I know about Christianity, or any other religion for that matter, I learned from t.v., books, and of course, that extremely popular Mel Gibson movie, which I can't remember the title of at this very moment. It's very ominous, maybe.

So today, after Beryl was dropped off at said church camp, I received a letter from my mom via myspace. This is what she wrote:

Hi!

Beryl is off to camp.

There was a little ampitheater with 3 wooden crosses made from sticks as a background. As Beryl passed she goes," WHAT? THEY GOING TO CRUCIFY PEOPLE HERE?"

That's Beryl!

Yeah.

I nearly peed myself.

Get paid to work at my favorite radio station?!

2008-07-25T18:02:00.000-08:00

Heck YES I will!

This past Monday I was offered the position of Program Director at KSUA. I didn't really want to talk about it publicly until I had the opportunity to tell all of my co-workers at the OIT Support Center, so I waited until today. I broke the news to them during our meeting.

I was surprised at how bummed all of my co-worker's were. They certainly are the best group of people I've ever worked with, so I'm really going to miss them all. It's not everyday you get to work in a drama free environment where talking about sweet things like video games, hilarious you-tube videos and cool ideas are all part of the job.

But alas, with my upcoming school schedule, and my desire for a change of pace, working at KSUA is by far the more appealing option. I've always loved KSUA. I've been a volunteer there since 2003, created their most recent logo, and spent many hours making sweet buttons for the station's booth at the fair.

And now, I'm going to get paid to work for the best station Fairbanks has to offer. I'm as giddy as Jess is when I give her delicious cheeses! (that's super giddy!)

I start work on the 6th of August :D!

Hip hop hooray!

Here's a weird-ass picture I drew to celebrate:

Webby Site

2008-07-23T23:33:00.000-08:00

Hello Friend Fries,

I have finally uploaded something to shaynahawkins.com. Awesome improvements will be made soon. These changes will (hopefully) include:

1. A background that actually shows up.
2. The .swf file being dead center on the page, rather than top center.
3. A loader, so my viewers know they're waiting for something...to load.
4. A smaller file, so it doesn't take an entire minute to load.
5. Other good suggestions brought to me by my dear critics.

Hooray. Now I just need to work on shay-town.com so the universe can finally rest. It's absence has caused quite a disturbance as of late, apparently :c|

In the meantime, you can see the strips at shaynahawkins.com during the comic-harboring site's construction.

Thanks to all of you who miss/want more shay-town comics. You have filled my heart meats with the desire to persevere.

Look for the site that looks like this!

Scribbles

2008-07-18T17:28:00.000-08:00

I don't usually like to show people my sketches, but I'm feeling saucy today. I plan on painting most of these ideas.

My latest monetary gain...

2008-07-16T18:18:00.000-08:00

...I was inspired by a nickel today...

...what are you looking at...?

8c|

(create your own caption for magical fun times!)

Explore...Just Protect Yourself

2008-07-13T23:55:00.000-08:00

I think these are brilliant.

James Jean was commissioned by AIDES to create safe sex posters for their cause. The images won the bronze lion at the Cannes Lions Festival 2008.

Sasquatched: Yeti Belly, Part Deuce.

2008-07-09T19:35:00.000-08:00

Okay, so remember 3 blogs ago, when I told you I only had 5 more bands that I wanted to talk about? Uhm, well I guess what I really meant to say was, I have 7 more bands that I would like to talk about. Hooray, hooray!

MATT COSTA:
To be honest, all I remember from this show is Matt Costa telling me personally (as I stood within a sea of plebs) that he thinks the number 13 is a lucky number and that he once lived in a haunted house. The tequila monsters erased the rest of my memory regarding this set.

THE HIVES:
They put on the most energetic and entertaining show the light of day has ever seen...well at least that I've ever seen in the light of day. Usually, at Sasquatch, all the best shows are at night because they can implement all of those "dazzling special effects" that only nightfall can accommodate. But the lead singer has so much energy, pizazz and charm, none of those things were necessary. I was sitting on the hillside and was still pumped during the entire set. I heartz zee hives.

BUILT TO SPILL:
Holy crap I got to see Built to Spill! I even took a shitty video of "carry the zero", which you can enjoy (or not?) at the end of this blog! It is super awful, especially the beginning, since I couldn't stop dancing while recording the song. Eventually Jess backhanded me with her heavy, yet steady appendage, and held the camera for the rest of its duration. Thank you Jess. You make my heart meats glow.

RODRIGO Y GABRIELA:
I can't believe I was even considering skipping out on these two. The moment they began playing their guitars I could barely move, and I became completely petrified when Gabriela got into her groove. I was enchanted by both of their talents, but especially hers. I don't know what it is about women who can play the guitar really well, but if I catch a glimpse of one doing so, I'm hooked. Jess, who had been lying on her back with her eyes closed during the beginning of their set, said she was surprised to find that all of the "percussion" she had heard was actually Gabriela and Rodrigo slapping their guitars as they played. They strummed and slapped at mind boggling speeds. If you ever have the opportunity to see these guys live, I suggest you jump at the chance.

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS
If you have ever taken the time out to listen to my radio show, you'd know I absolutely love Flight of the Conchords (I always play at least one of their songs every time I host my weekly show). So when I finally got to see them perform live, I was ecstatic. I loved that Jermaine was wearing a tuxedo shirt and Brett was wearing one of his signature animal sweaters, even though it was swelteringly hot outside. They actually received their first bra ever from someone hidden within the crowd, which seemed to be the highlight of their night :) "There ain't no party like my nanna's tea partay...heyyy...ho!"

THE MARS VOLTA
I like a lot of TMV's work, but I must admit, seeing them live was a little hard to enjoy at first. I think the souring of the show (for me) began when the lead singer Cedric tried to rip a very large, very expensive camera out one of the cameramen's hands (this was after Cedric had already thrown a stool and other large objects into the crowd). After that all I could think about was whether or not he realized how expensive that piece of equipment was. I've been conditioned by my best friend/personal photographer (through the use of tazers and large angry bees) to always handle camera's with care, so seeing that was unsettling. Other than the camera abuse, I found the show somewhat amusing. However, I would be lying if I said I liked watching them live more than listening to their recorded work.

THE FLAMING LIIIIIIIIIIPSSSSSSS!
I.Love.The Flaming Lips.
I always have. Well, I have since the day I was exposed to them at age 12 by my older sister, Andy. I used to sing "Vaseline" at the top of my lungs every single day as I marched to my bus stop in the early morn'. And now, 13 years later, they are still one of my most cherished bands. I even have a cat named Yoshimi, which seems to be an extremely popular pet name for those of us who truly love The Flaming Lips ♥
Their UFO show was amazing, and by far the better of the two live TFL shows I've seen. This year there was a space ship, dozens of telly tubbies, naked girls dancing around on stage, and of course, Wayne's magical-crowd-surfing bubble. They ended the show with "Do You Realize?" and covered the entire crowd (even those on the hillside) with pink and white confetti. I had a reaction to this moment that I can only compare to Kim's when Edward Scissorhands created snow by carving a sculpture in her backyard. It was beautiful, it was surreal, and it made me spin around and smile with happiness.

Okee dokee friends! That is all I have from the Sasquatch Music Festival 2008. Hopefully I'll get to see you there next year :D

Enjoy the Built to Spill video :)
(Try to guess when Jess finally takes the camera away from my overly excited self)

Reasons my boyfriend is great #1,134

2008-07-09T19:09:00.000-08:00

He secretly has sundaes delivered to me when I'm feeling blue even though he lives 3,000 miles away. ♥

i can has hookie?

2008-07-09T18:29:00.000-08:00

Every day, when I walk to work, I see a pretty girl sitting in the courtyard. She sits there for hours, strumming away at her guitar, singing along with her acoustic instrument. I find myself staring at her and am mezmorized as I watch her play outside my window.

I daydream about locking up my office and lying next to her on the grass as I create sketches of random thoughts. I need to work outside of boxes, rather than inside them. Not just metaphorically, but literally in tandem. I need the fresh air.

No one would notice I'm gone.

Adventures In the Belly of a Yeti: My Sasquatch Encounter

2008-07-08T02:32:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that I'm disappointed in myself for not doing this sooner.

I had plans, my beloved reader, to dazzle and please your senses with colorful tales of all the magic and all the glory that the gorge has to offer.

However, due to the time lapse, and the fact that I had imbibed more grainy beverages than usual while I was there, my memory of the fabulous Sasquatch Music Festival isn't as fresh in mi cabeza as it had been 2 months ago.

I know...shame on me. But I'll make it up to you, I promise. The first thing I'm going to do tomorrow morning is punish myself by flogging my mouth with a ball made out of bacon and cheeses.

That'll show me >8(

But for now, I will finish this post by touching on a few of the bands I do remember, and closing it with a fantasmagoric slide show!

It's slidyriffic!

FLEET FOXES:
These guys were amazing, and played twice for us because National was lazy and decided not to show (dramatization).

BEIRUT:
No music can make my heart feel as though it has been blown up by several bombs containing rainbow-ingesting kittens like Beirut can. His music is just as beautiful live as it is recorded, if not better.

M.I.A.:
I was worried she'd get stuck in customs again this year, so when she finally took center stage I almost peed...twice. I know, it's ridiculous, but I love her and she put on a very fun, very energetic show. Near the end she convinced a very large portion of the crowd to join her on stage. I literally stood there for about a minute or two weighing the pros and cons of getting the shit beat out of me as I attempted to jump up there with her. I decided against it, finally, but only because by the time I made my executive decision to go, they were no longer admitting people on the stage...bastards.

MODEST MOUSE:
They didn't have flashy lights, or a gimmick of any sort, but I love their music, so who cares? Not this lady. Just the fact that I got to see them perform filled my belly with warm and fuzzy-drunk butterflies.

REM:
They put on a really good show, but we had to leave early due to the evil, freezing rain penetrating our fragile flesh.

TEGAN AND SARA:
What can I say? Those girls are so adorable I just want to grandma clamp their cheeks with my fingers. RAWR! GRAMMA CLAMP!
My favorite part of their show was their banter, especially when they thanked all the girls who decided to wear bikini tops to the festival.

THE PRESIDENTS:
I stayed for about 20 minutes, but ditched them to see Mates of State. Those guys have great stage presence, and normally I would have stayed, but I was too curious about MOS's performance.

MATES OF STATE:
So, these guys weren't showmen like The Presidents, but they were definitely worth the trouble of walking up a hill with a freakishly steep incline to see. I ended up leaving their show early though on account of loneliness. I was doing fine until my phone died and I could no longer gloat to my boyfriend via text about how awesome they were. With no one left to share my MOS moments with, I decided to venture back to the main stage to see what everyone else was listening to.

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE:
I have got to hand it to these guys. They performed way better than they did at Sasquatch 2006. Ben Gibbard seemed full of piss and vinegar, chatting up a storm between songs. He even told a cute story about meeting Tegan and Sara's mom.

THE CURE:
Watching the Cure makes me giggle. I don't know why, but I think it may have something to do with the fact that they dress like some sort of Goth/Industrial band, but sing songs such as their very popular "It's Friday, I'm In Love." Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the show, I just felt like I was in Bizarro World throughout their entire set.

Oh man...this is the longest blog ever and I still have five bands to go. Better save them for tomorrow.

Until then, enjoy zee picture show!

Forced Bloggery

2008-07-06T01:57:00.000-08:00

It has been far too long since I've actually written anything that resembles a blog entry. I'd say it's due to the fact that I've been really busy, but because I work a job where I'm sitting in front of a computer 100% of the time, I really have no excuse.

The honest truth is this: I've been so overwhelmed with ideas, poverty, school and visitors this summer, I haven't really been able to organize any thoughts or projects (hence, no bloggery).

I'm still in the process of getting my act together, so I guess I'm just going to make this particular blog an update of things to come in the near/distant future. It may seem unnecessary, and quite possibly very boring, but I have to do it since it's a cyber faux pas to leave a blog untouched for longer than a month (at least that's what the frightening INterWebGnomes told me at shiv-point).

***OBLIGATORY BLOGGER UPDATE***

I. Animations

I currently have two animations in the works. One is a stop motion animation that involves nesting dolls and a nursery rhyme about an old lady with an eating disorder (I'm actually getting credits for this). The other is going to be a flash animation involving emoticons. Hoorah.

II. Websites

Oh man. It's been a long time coming, but I am almost finished designing what I hope will soon become www.shaynahawkins.com; a website to showcase my most recent artwork. I will also be creating www.shay-town.com to harbor my beloved comics.

I figure that if I actually have a good site to display my art, maybe I'll finally start being productive again. I also hope the shay-town site will light a fire under my cushy tooshy and get me to produce at least one comic a week.

III. Tom Bloggery

Okay. So I know only a select few actually read my blog (Jess...and my dog Assiqtaq [I read it to her to help her fall asleep]), but I will be updating more frequently nonetheless.

Future blogs to look forward to:

-The long awaited "Sasquatch Music Festival" blog.
-The "OMFG! My Boyfriend Visited for TWO WEEKS" blog.
-The "Megan's Return" blog.
and finally
-The "Why Everyone Should Shower Me With Food: An Artist's Search for Work" blog.

Titles are tentative and subject to change to bacon related headlines.

*This is what a happy Shay looks like* - photo by Jess

En Tus Brazos

2008-06-22T13:07:00.000-08:00

I hope to make beautiful animations like this someday...

You can visit the official website for the animation here.

Shayna Vs. Bear! Who Will Win?!

2008-06-13T09:48:00.001-08:00

This is what happens when I've hit an artistic roadblock and, subsequently, allow my boyfriend to start pitching ideas for future drawings.

I actually think he was right. This is pretty rad.

Monotony is a prison cell, snorts the artist

2008-06-11T22:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Life,

How'd you get so mundane?

Loosen up and grow a pair.

-Shayna

Comic Conception

2008-05-16T00:59:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder where I get the inspiration for my Shay-Town comics?

Well, if you do, have I got a treat for you!

I just found a crap-load of my old home videos! Three of which inspired one of my favorite strips of all...I'll give you a bit of background before we begin...

So two years ago, Jess had fallen ill and was unable to go to our radio show with me. I decided that the only rational thing to do was to create videos for her while I was there without her, so she understood how important she is to the show :-|

The first video is of me telling Jess my video plans and assuring her I wasn't recording her while sharing said plans.

If you read my comics, you'll totally know which ones resulted from the other two vids. If not, I'll link them on the bottom so you can see which ones they are :-D

PS please disregard my bad hair, skin, and inability to formulate a complete sentence...these were all symptoms which resulted after I was shamefully probed by aliens (that looked suspiciously like Jess) the night before...sigh...at least it happened in the comfort of my own home...

Sure they're anti-climatic, but they're what inspired these comics!

First Part of Comic
Second Part of Comic

The UAF Student Art Show

2008-04-29T21:18:00.001-08:00

Hey everybody :-)

Two of my pieces were accepted in the UAF student art show (a painting and my animation).

It opens this Thursday at 5pm in the student art gallery located in the fine arts complex on campus, and will last until 7pm. All of the work will be on display for an entire week, but if you can show up for the opening I would love that ♥

PS there will be tasty food ;-P

Mupples!

2008-04-28T22:42:00.000-08:00

I finally finished my first real flash animation! I submitted it to the student art show today (hopefully they'll show it). I plan on tweaking it a bit in the future, but for now, I hope you enjoy!

© 2008 Shayna Hawkins
All Rights Reserved

I would like to give special thanks to Jess Alford, Nick Brewer, Gage Choat and Matthew Schroder. If it wasn't for their talents, this animation wouldn't have been possible.

Gage Choat: Music

Jess Alford: Incredulous Mupple Voice

Nick Brewer: Nick's Voice (he recorded the sound in NY for this project)

Matthew Schroder: Angry Mupple Voice (he helped me record most of the sound)

If you take one awesome thing and combine it with another awesome thing...

2008-04-28T22:25:00.000-08:00

...is the product still awesome?

You decide!

I painted Futurama characters on a pair of Vans for Nick, because he is fond of both:

Happy Birthday, Buckaroo ♥

Fuglay!

2008-04-22T18:54:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, a spell of low self-esteem riddles my brain with thoughts that force me to believe I'm a hideous toad. When this happens, I take pictures of myself all prettied up using my digital camera with hopes that it will quiet my concerns.

However, due to my very short attention span and insatiable curiosity, my photo sessions usually end up being way cooler than I had originally planned...

...ladies and gentlemen! Allow me to present to you...Bearded Shay!

I may not be able to pull off dapper with a beard, but boy does it make me look handsome.

This blog needs an enema!

2008-04-15T22:59:00.001-08:00

This is the type of thing I do when I have something more important that I should be doing...

Mimicking her faces was harder than it looks.

Man...I am so cool.

A Letter From My Past

2008-04-15T21:32:00.001-08:00

So a long time ago (2 years to be exact) I discovered a place called FutureMe.org, which is a website that allows you to compose an email and send it to yourself up to 30 years later. When I was 22, I knew I probably wouldn’t graduate until at least spring 2008, so I decided to write a letter to my 24-year-old-self to encourage progress and remind myself that things probably aren’t as bad as I think. I just received that letter today...

Here is the letter I wrote two years ago:

Dearest FutureMe,

How art thou? So...you’re probably finishing up your degree by now, and are more than likely stressed. But don’t be afraid. Also, you should take more time out to play canasta...I know you probably have never played it yet...but I do know that you like saying canasta...so it’s high time you learn, eh? Wow...you’re like 24 these days...almost 25...you probably have wrinkles and hair in strange places now. You better not still be smoking. You were supposed to quit March 31, 2006.

Soooo...did you get knocked up yet? If so make Jess buy you something nice...she really needs to give you something awesome...no more of that free linux bullshit she tries to throw at you all the time (okay so far it was just once, but I’m sure by now she’s tried to give you more free editions of this OS).

Well I’ll give you the low-down on what’s going on now in my life, so you can look back and say...hey...things worked out the way they were supposed to. I’m working at Pacific Movers and am taking Art 105, Econ 100, English 111, and Powerpoint (don’t remember the number right now). You also were just dumped by you writer boyfriend Steve, which I’m sure, looking back (as futureme) you understand it was for the best. You probably have someone in your life that is far better for you these days, and if not...do not dispair...this world is so flippin huge there’s bound to be someone out there who can handle your Vivaciousness. I hope you still have fly style.

Wif luv,

PastMe

P.S. Buy yourself some sexy underwear.

So now, I’m going to write a response to PastMe, as it is only fair. I hate leaving messages unanswered, regardless of who they’re from...so here it goes.

Dear PastMe,

I hate to disappoint your curly-haired-self, but alas, I will not be graduating until spring 2009. I could, in theory, graduate in fall 2008, but I might go crazy and shoot someone due to the stress caused by the heavy courseload I would need to take in order to accomplish such a feat.

I’m happy to inform you, however, that I HAVE played canasta, thanks to my dear friend Becca. I also haven’t discovered any new wrinkles on my person as of yet. And as far as the hair issue is concerned, well, I recently decided that everything growing from a follicle from the shoulders down shall be harvested regularly and stored in the nearest garbage receptacle. That’s right PastMe. I...Am...Itchy. >8(

Let’s see...what else were you curious about...?

Oh! I no longer smoke, as I officially quit (again) on Christmas day, 2007, but I did have cigarettes last Saturday at the Great Cover Up. I’ve come to the conclusion, though, that since I smoked those cigarettes in the past, I only have you to blame. Knock it off, PastMe.

Now that I’ve answered your first group of questions, I would just like to point out how appalled I am at your lack of faith when it comes to my ability to properly use birth control. Your assumption that I may be pregnant at this point in my life not only hurts, but also makes me wish I had the ability to travel to the past, just so I can punch you in the face. Consider yourself lucky.

On another note, Jess hasn’t been giving me free operating systems as gifts these days. She’s actually been giving me bad-ass presents lately. Her present-giving stats are now off the hook, and she has leveled up to a level 45 GD (gift-distributor). She is a force to be reckoned with, fo sho.

So, PastMe, now that I have answered your questions, I will end this note with a summary of what is going on in my life now, just as you had 2 years ago when you wrote your letter to me.

I am currently working at the OIT Support Center on campus. It pays me WAY less than I was paid at Pacific Movers. However, my supervisor is no longer the spawn of Satan, so I actually enjoy my work. I’m also dating someone who lives over 3,000 miles away from me. Although it’s hard to know for sure whether or not he can handle "my vivaciousness" you had mentioned in your letter to me, he seems to deal with my neurosis, which stems from being so far away from him, really well. So that’s saying something. Also, he can always make me smile.

So there you have it PastMe: An update from the one and only PresentMe. I hope FutureMe enjoys reading the correspondence between the two of us when she reads this bliggity, bloggity, blag. I’d end this with some sweet advice, but you can’t really give advice to one’s past-self, now can you? I guess I’ll just have to write another letter to FutureMe instead.

Hugs and Kisses,

Shayna AKA PresentMe

PS I am currently sexy-underwear-clad. Thanks PastMe!

With my easy 6 step program...

2008-04-15T21:25:00.000-08:00

I Carry Feces Unawares

2008-04-15T21:17:00.000-08:00

Dear Diary,

My dog is a magician...and a mean magician at that.

Today, after Jess dropped me off at Gruening, I ventured up to the writing center to print off some letters I had written to my biological father.

During my journey, I couldn't help but wonder why I smelled like a dog musher. One of the English Dept. guys kept giving me a shifty eye. I think he was confused by the fact that I looked nice, but smelled like ass.

The stench kept coming and going, and I became concerned that my coat may have been the victim of a bowely assualt. I finally decided to go to the 3rd floor restroom and perform a thourough investigation.

I went into a stall and began inspecting every article of clothing I had on. Nothing appeared to be tainted by urine or feces, and the bottoms of my shoes were squeaky clean. I decided it was all in my head and that I should just spray myself with Hawaiin Ginger Body Spray to put my mind at ease.

As I reached for the purse in my backpack I coulnd't help but notice that the smell had returned. I began to move things around in an attempt to retrieve my fragrent mist...and then I saw it. T

There it was, sitting atop my favorite wallet, a piece of my beautiful bitch's shit.

It was INSIDE my backpack. I'm not exactly sure if Assiqtaq dropped trow on it while the bag was opened, or if I had absent-mindedly shoved a book in my bag that just so happened to have the disgusting defacation on it.

At any rate, it was quite an experience. I think everyone should dress up nice and carry around a bag containing shit to see the different reactions they receive from passersby. It will change your life.

Love,

Shayna

I have the strangest dreams

2008-04-15T21:14:00.000-08:00

Last summer I had a crazy dream and wrote a short story to describe it.

***

I was successfully terminated about half an hour ago.

It all started when a group of my twenty-something year old friends, some strangers, and I were being rounded up by a major news station. They wanted to interview our particular age group about some sort of terrorist tragedy that literally JUST happened 30 seconds before the herding of me, Jess, Rob Michaud, Brandon Seifert and a number of people I wasn't acquainted with.

Knots twisted and turned in my stomach as I thought about all of the things I was going to say once the reporters got to me. I was going to change the world with my words. What I was going to say wouldn't be anything less than EPIC.

However, whenever the opportunity for me to shine happens to arise something always goes wrong, fucking up all of my hopes and dreams. Today it involved me losing my right maxillary lateral. My once excited heart thickened and sank into my churning stomach the moment my tongue loosened my smallish tooth from its gums. I looked around to see if anyone had noticed as my face reddened with shame.

Stupid tooth, I thought, I knew I should have fixed it sooner.

I became nervous about being shown on national television without one of my front teeth and quickly excused myself so I could examine the remnants of my once attached chopper.

Disappointment was the only emotion I felt as I began descending the hill that once promised the recording of my profound statements. I looked behind me as I moved and my friends, still atop the hill, looked as jovial as ever.

Bitches.

I kept walking and scanned the area for a building with a public restroom. Suddenly, the tooth that just escaped my gum line literally leapt out of my hand and began rolling towards a construction site, increasing in size the further away it tumbled. Frustrated, I began chasing it towards the gate it was about to enter. Once my tooth became the size of a large muffin it disappeared behind the site's fence and although I desired chasing it further, I no longer had the energy to do so. I assumed it was better this way. I'd find a right maxillary lateral that wanted to be with me and respected me. I decided it was time to move on.

About a block after I was deserted, I spotted a bathroom on my right, just after a three-way intersection. As I began to cross the road to my long awaited destination I heard a voice yelling incoherently behind me. I turned around to see who could be making such a ruckus. It was the scary old white man with the scabby face who flashed me on the MACS light rail two nights before, but this time he was drunker and had icky-sticky fingers.

He began pawing at me and grabbing my arms and although he was weak, I somehow became weaker than him, unable to escape his puny grasp. I began screaming for help up the hill hoping someone would come to my rescue.

An attractive black man noticed me struggling and ceased sweeping the sidewalk in front of his store so he could run over to me as fast as possible. Relief filled my body as he began swinging his broom wildly at the perverted old man.

Sigh. My night in shining armor.

Procuring a broom myself, I too, started to clumsily attack the old man. However, I was unable to properly aim this rudimentary device and therefore ended up striking my hero several times on the leg and hip instead.

"HEY!" he yelled, "I was trying to help you! Fuck both y'all!" and with that my Romeo left.

I thought all hope was lost until a Portland squad car turned onto the road the geezer and I were battling upon. I began waving at them and yelling in an attempt to catch their attention. They noticed me and blared their sirens as they directed their vehicle towards us. I was feeling good about this until I noticed their guns were locked on me.

"What are you guys doing?! This guy's attacking me!" I screamed as bullets began escaping the chambers of their guns, narrowly missing my ankles.

I bolted, but the further away I got, the slower I became. My legs became heavy like cement and my tank was running on empty. The cops soon caught up to me and forcefully dropped me to the ground. I cried aloud and asked them to stop, while hot tears ran down my cheeks. I wasn't the person they were after. I didn't do anything wrong.

I begged and pleaded, but they didn't listen. The only response I got was "QUIET, WHORE!"

Then,

bang, bang, bang, bang, BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!
9 yellow dots appeared in the darkness.
Those 9 yellow dots were the bullets the officers shot into my skull.

I know it was just a dream, but that is no excuse to kill me.
I expect you all to avenge my death.

Yes, I do think about death often.

2008-04-15T20:36:00.000-08:00

One day, I was listening to a clip of John Gibson talking about Heath Ledger (after he had passed on). The whole thing was disturbing to listen to, but there was one thing about Heath that Gibson said that really got to me.

Apparently, Gibson thought Heath was a freak because Heath had mentioned in an interview that he thought about death often. Gibson went on a tangent, basically stating that only a freak would think about death that much.

But if you think about it, most of the people in the world are constantly thinking about death. People are obsessed with the possibility that there will be another world waiting for them after they have perished. Most organized religions constantly remind their patrons to be on their best behavior so they will make it to a paradise that awaits them after death. Parents teach their children good morals so they can assure that they'll be reunited with their families in the heavens. Kings and pharoahs of the past spent their entire lives obsessing about and preparing for their death.

It's a known fact. People think about dying. It is an innate behavior that shouldn't be judged harshly.

I used to be obsessed with death. My mom told me I was a thanataphobe since the fragile age of two. I would have dreams that I would pass away and then total darkness would take over these dreams. It was frightening.

Because of this, I slept with my parents until I was seven years old. As a matter of fact, I didn't get over this fear until I was about 20 years old. I still have panic attacks every once in a while, but the older I get, the less I stress about it. I can actually think about it these days without my stomach flipping.

I can even joke about it now.

Speaking of which, a while ago I wrote a short epitaph that I would like inscribed onto my tombstone. I'm hoping my best friend and family will ensure that this is taken care of once I've passed. Feel free to add your own.

***

Here lies Shayna, the most decorated of all the galactic gladiators in this vast universe. She died saving Earth from the extraterrestrial lizard king, Philistine Rex, who had been harvesting our kind for his species' consumption during The Years of Trepidation. Never before has such an amazing warrior blessed the soil of this wretched planet with a presence as radiant nor with as much purpose, as Shayna Xavier, the Flawless. She will be forever missed.

May 05, 1983 - December 12, 2015

Another Day at the Office

2008-04-15T20:33:00.000-08:00

I wrote this short story to illustrate how awful my last job was. I hope you enjoy:

Another Day at the Office

She's at it again.

A sharp noise pierces my ears. Her laugh, a noise regularly mistaken for the shrill call of a banshie, can be heard throughout the entire industrial district. She's brewing something wicked. I can tell. I can sense it.

Tish. Just saying her name makes my skin crawl.

She whispers some chants into the monitor of her computer, then pounds the letters on her discolored keyboard with her short, meaty fingers. Another piercing cackle escapes her lips, startling me, and half of my scalding hot coffee escapes my porcelain mug, gracefully diving onto my right thigh.

"Mother Fucker!!!!" I scream while I leap from my chair, trying to shake off whatever liquids that haven't fully absorbed into my slate blue jeans. The dance of shear pain continues until the burning sensation resigns. Once it does, I point at her with cold defiance and contort my face to better represent my overpowering feelings of hatred towards that evil bitch "YOU!"

My exclamation makes her grimace and she spits onto the floor. Suddenly I feel my index finger curling in an unnatural way towards the back of my hand, and it is soon accompanied by its four lengthy neighbors. DAMN HER TELEPATHIC POWERS! I fall to the floor crying in agony, trying, with little success, to ignore the cracking of my bones.

"Shit...where is it?! WHERE IS IT?!?!" I holler as I look for the cross I made out of sporks, garlic and pixie sticks. She speeds towards me and bounds onto my desk like a rabid dog ready to infect and destroy its prey. The moment the cold plastic of the cross touches my skin, I use all of my might to whip around onto my back. She attempts to pounce, but twists her body mid-air once she sees the majestic and holy marriage of stapled pixie sticks and sporks held in my left hand.

"HAH! Take that spawn of SATAN!"

Another shriek leaves her mouth, but this time no merriment can be detected. She slithers away, hissing; her body steaming from the damage caused by the cross effect. Victory is mine!

I race towards the door. Its my chance to escape! Nothing can stop me now! BWA HA HA HA!

THUNK!

My face hits the linoleum floor. I look down at my ankles to see the shackles the mega-beast attached to my unsuspecting limbs. She jumps onto my back and begins ripping out clumps of my hair. Paralyzing-acid drools from the corners of her lips onto my round, rosey cheeks.

"Damn you Beast Woman!" I exclaim as I begin convulsing from the handicapping serum her body excretes from her mouth. Soon she flips my motionless body over so that I am once again lying on my back. She grabs what little hair I have left on my scalp and pulls my head up so that I must face her.

The eyes...NOT THE EYES! I cant look into her eyes! But in my state, I cannot resist.

Ive got to keep a clear head. I cant let her win. The bitch, the cold demon woman! I cant let her enter my mind and fry my thoughts!

Tish is an amazing woman. Tish can make your wildest dreams come true. GIVE TISH YOUR WORTHLESS SOUL!

NOOOO! I must fight it, I cant give in! You brainwashing trollop! You evil wretch!

Tish is a good boss. Tish makes everything okay. You love it here. YOULL NEVER LEAVE! I OWN YOUR UNWORTHY MIND!

The pain! The horrible throbbing pain! I cant take much more of this, but I MUST! I have to defeat this evil demon!

YOU CANNOT LEAVE! TISH IS YOUR MASTER! YOU LOVE YOUR JOB! I COMMAND YOUR EVERY MOVE!

Im...weakening...must fight...cant give...up...

* * *

Suddenly, I wake up. Im sitting at my desk again.

"Did you finish the manifests I asked you to do!?"

"Yes Tish. Oh! And heres your coffee. Look! I folded your napkin into a crane!" I look despairingly into her eyes, looking for a glimmer, a sign, ANY sort of expression that may represent her approval.

She takes one sip of her coffee and promptly spits it into my eyes.

"You call this coffee?!?!" she spills the rest of her cups contents onto my desk. "Clean this up!"

I fumble for the paper towels I keep hidden under my desk and try to soak up the liquid as quickly as possible so I can escape her scornful stare.

The big hand on our clock reaches 12 and the little hand finally lines up perfectly with 5 ...Quitting time. Suddenly, the break-room door swings open and one of the other employees enters the office. Tish glides back to her perch behind her desk and watches my every move.

"Hey Shayna, how was work today?" Johnny inquires smiling.

"I can never understand why I feel like quitting every morning. I absolutely love it here!"

The two of us chuckle aloud, say our goodbyes to Tish, and then leave the office together. After I drop Johnny off, I begin driving to my apartment, daydreaming about tomorrow. I get that feeling in my stomach a child gets the night before Christmas. I am barely able to contain the excitement festering in my body. I cant wait to go to work tomorrow!

She tried out poetry and failed miserably

2008-04-15T19:59:00.001-08:00

I went through this phase where I wanted to be a poet.

I eventually had to quit due to the depressing results. If I kept it up I would have ended up needing to pop anti-depressives like tic tacs.

Expressing oneself with words is exhausting. I'd rather use paint or pixels.

Anyway, here are some examples of the work I produced during my blue period.

Brace yourself for sadness.

Cold

We've created our own iron curtain.
I wanted it to surround us, not separate us.

I've tried to melt it,
cast it,
bend it.
Yet manipulation just increases its width.

The many futile efforts
have fused me to its surface.

Now I'm an alloy of indifference.
I'm the curtain that keeps us distant.

Tookie

you were aware it was me when I stroked you;
our movements choreographed
like a handshake only you and I knew.

my hands traveled all over, and my eyes followed.
I strived to remember each strand,
every shade,
your very texture.

I had to memorize you.
you were my baby; my first;
my little darling.

they kept checking to see if I was ready;
I wouldn't budge; I couldn't move.
salty drops escaped my eyes as I cleaned yours for the last time.
you were ready, but I wasn't.

they let me do this for an hour
before they told me it was time.

I held you close;
I felt your beating;
your weakening soul,
and I wept.

sleep my baby, sleep.
It will only took a second.

a quickened beat, two dilated eyes, a soft cry,

then nothing...

Dear E.E., Sweet Birdie

I'd carve maps into my forearms.
We know where they'd lead me.

They'd be my guides to a better place,
And yet, I'm hesitant.

Once the blade touches my skin
Your eyes invade my mind.

Turn away…don't look at me…
My hand begins to shake.

I look to my reflection,
yet your gaze replaces mine.

All I can see are those eyes;
Those sweet, innocent eyes.

Steady now, I'll take my time;
The intense stare ensues.

I struggle, but cannot fight them;
Cold steel falls to the floor.

Those eyes make me remember
Two reasons I should stay.